通过风险评估来定义害虫控制规范

DefiningthePestControlSpecification

throughRiskAssessment

Formanyyears8routineinspections,4fieldbiologistinspectionsand4servicesofflycontrolunits

comprisedthecorecomponentsofthe(standard’pestcontroIcontractinfoodmanufacturingsites.Thepastfewyearshasseenagradualshiftawayfromblindcompliancewithacorporateorcustomerspecific

standardtoamorerisk-basedapproach.Toquoteafewofthemajorfoodsafetystandards:

BRCGlobalStandardforFoodSafety(Issue7)

4.14.2一Thefrequencyofinspectionsshallbedeterminedbyriskassessmentandshallbe

documented.

TescoFoodManufacturingStandard(TFMS6)

24.1一Thepestmanagementprogrammemustbebasedonanassessmentoftherisktotheproduct.

WaitrosePestControlPolicy(Version3)

4.3.1Pestcontrolshallbemanagedbyanexternalservicecontractandtheagreementof

frequencyandtypeofvisitswillbebasedonasitespecificpestriskassessment.

Thisapproachiseminentlysensible;everysiteisunique,soitisnotunreasonabletoassumethatpest

controlcontractsshouldbetailoredtomeetspecificneeds.Furthermore,theclientshouldbeanexpertontheirownsite,andthepestcontrolcontractoranexpertonpestcontrol,sowhobetterthanthesetwo

partiestodecidewhatismostappropriateforasite?

Unfortunately,fartoooftenweseecontractspecificationsthatareveryobviouslyinappropriatetomeettheneedsofasite;something,somewhere,hasobviouslygonewrong.Isitthecontractorwhohaswrongly

assessedneeds,sitepersonnelwhohavedecidedthatwhathasbeenrecommendedisnotwhattheyneed,oracombinationofboth?

Iftheriskassessmentprocessistoworkthenitrequiresanhonestassessmenttobemade,probablybythecontractor,andacceptancebytheclientthatthisassessmentisappropriate,evenwhereitmaynecessitateincreasedcost.Listedbelowaresomeofthefactorsthatneedtobeconsideredduringtheriskassessmentprocess:

Category

Subcategory

Reason

Environment

Location

Whereisthesite;isitinaruralorurbanarea?

Detachedoradjoiningotherproperties

Adjoiningpropertiesmay(share’aninfestationthroughcavitywallsandsharedroofvoids.

Proximitytorivers,canals,railwaysetc.

Thesecanhavearesidentpopulationofpests,withthepotentialtoinfestnearbypremises.

Wastehandlingproceduresandfacilities

Wastewillattractpests.Whenpoorlyhandledit

canbringthemclosetothebuilding.Howare

wastematerialshandled,arewastehandlingareas

©Acheta,December2015

©Acheta,December2015

closetothebuilding,andarefoodmaterialsdisposedofinthesefacilities?

Buildingdesign

andstructure

Old/new/converted

Ageofbuildingandprevioususecanhaveamajorimpactonpestinfestationrisk.

Proofingstandards

Poorproofingleavesasiteopentopestingress.

Plantroomsandservices

Externalplantroomsmayberarelyvisited.

Servicesmayenterthroughwalls/floorsintothemainbuilding,providingpotentialentryroutesforpests.

Buildingconstructione.g.insulatedwallpanels/doubleskinned/openwallcavities

Differentpestsexploitbuildingsindifferentways,butinsulatedwallpanels,double(skins’andopenwallcavitiesareallexploitable.

Highlevels,falseceilingsandroofvoids

Oftendifficulttoreach,theseareasrequire

inspectionastheycanprovideinfestationswithaneasyroutetootherareas.

Rawmaterialsandsite

processes

Chilled,ambientorfrozen?

Thismayimpactonpests,butinfarfrompredictableorclear-cutways.

Highorlowrisk?

Productssuchascereals,nutsanddriedfruitsareattractivetomanypestspeciesandwillneedtobemonitoredclosely.Asingleflyinginsectina

high-careareamightberegardedascriticaltofoodsafety.

Stockcontrolandturnover

Rawmaterialsandfinishedproductthathavea

slowturnovermaybemorevulnerabletopests.

Sotoomightretainedsamples,marketingsamplesorNPDingredients.

Conveyingandprocessplant

Complexmixing,cooking,dryingandpackingplant,andassociatedconveyors,mayofferamultitudeofenvironmentsforpeststothrive.

Infestationhistory

Mice

Whathashappenedpreviouslycanbeauseful

pointertowhatmightbeexpectedtohappen

again.Howlonghasitbeensinceinfestationlastoccurred,howlongwas/hasitbeenpresent,howfrequentlydoesitrecur,howsevereis/wasthe

problem,whatarethefoodsafetyimplications?Allthesearequestionsthatwillallneedtobe

considered.

Rats

Cockroaches

StoredProductInsects

Flyinginsects

Birds

Production

schedulesandseasonal

TheBRCStandarddefinesaseasonalproductas(Aproductharvestedandprocessedonasitethatisopened

Truly(seasonal’productionsitesmayrequirea

lessdemandingspecificationforpestcontrol

outsideoftheproductionperiod;riskassessment

©Acheta,December2015

variation

specificallyforthedurationofthe

shorttermofthatharvest(typically12weeksorless)duringa12monthcycle’.

Evenwhenasiteproduces52weeksayeartheremaybeaseasonal

componenttoproductionthatmayimpactonthepestcontrol

specification.

willdeterminethis.

Siteswithlargelyconstantproduction,perhaps

withsomeseasonalvariation,wouldprobably

requireasimilarlevelofserviceallyearround,butproductionvariationmayexertitsownpressures.Forexample,peakproductionperiodsinsites

processingcerealproducts,mayhaveshorter

periodsofshutdownforcleaningand

maintenance,possiblyincreasingtheriskofpestactivity.

TheRiskAssessmentwillprobablyinvolvecompletion,typicallybythecontractor,ofan‘assessmentmatrix’,whichoftenincorporatessomeformofscoredassessment.Theendresultwillbeadecisionastothe

recommendedfrequencyforthebasiccomponentsofthepestcontrolcontract:

●Routineinspections;typically8or12,occasionally,24,48or52

●Fieldbiologistinspections;typically4

●Flycontrolunitservice;typically4,sometimesmorefrequentduringthesummermonths

●Mothmonitorservice;typically8or12

However,ourexperienceisthatevenatthispointthefrequencyofservicedecideduponmaystillbe

inappropriate.Forexample,aspecificinfestationproblemmayexist,controlofwhichwouldbenefitfrom

somespecifictailoringofthe‘standard’contractspecification.,Afewreal-lifescenariosbesthighlightsomecommonfailings:

Scenario

Analternativesolution?

Learning

Asitepreviouslyinspected8timesperannum,andwithahistoryofrecurringmouse

activity,movestoa‘non-

toxic’monitoringapproachforrodents.Itisdecided

throughriskassessmentthatthefrequencywillbe

increasedto12perannum.

Isaserviceintervalof4-5weeksreallyadequatewhenthesitehasahistoryofinfestation?The

monitoringtechniquewillnotkillanything,so

activityshortlyafteraninspectionmaygo

undetectedanduncontrolledforseveralweeks,allowingdispersalandmultiplication.Inspectionatleasteverytwoweeks,ideallyweekly,would

bemoreappropriate.Atrappingbasedapproachmightbeabetteralternativetonon-toxicfeedingstations;thereisnoreasonwhysitepersonnel

couldnotbetrainedtoalevelsufficientforthemtoperformatleastsomeoftheroutine

inspections.

Relyingontrapsornon-toxicmonitoring

techniquesforrodentsshouldalwaysresultinanincreaseininspectionfrequency,withtwo

weeksbeingthe

maximuminspectioninterval.

Alloftheflycontrolunitsinasitemanufacturingchilledhigh-riskproductsare

serviced4timesayear.

Itcanbearguedstronglythatsomespeciesof

flyinginsecthavethegreatestpotentialofall

pestsasvectorsofpathogens,socanitreallybejustifiedthatthiselementofthecontracthasthe

Theriskassessmentforflycontrolunitsshouldbedoneonaunitbyunitbasis,notforallofthe

unitsonthesiteasa

leastfrequentspecificationofservice?

Itisgenerallythecasethatallflycontrolunitsonasiteareservicedatthesamefrequency,but

whyshouldthisbeso?Quarterlyservicingcan

reallyonlytellyouwhathashappenedinthe

past,whereastheremaybesomehigh-riskpartsofasitewhereyouneedearlywarningofa

developingflyproblem.Iftheriskofflyinginsectactivityinsomeareasisconsideredunacceptablethenwhynotincreasethefrequencyofservice,perhapseventoweekly,forjusttheunitslocatedinthoseareas?

whole.

Quarterlyserviceis

almostcertainly

inadequatewherethe

exclusionofflyinginsectsiscriticaltofoodsafety.

Asitewithanestablishedcockroachpopulationreliesonpermanentlylocated

stickytrapstomonitorforactivityanddirectthe

controlprogramme.

Cockroachespreferhot,humidorwetareas,withorganicresiduesonwhichtheyfeed.Suchareasaredifficulttomonitorpermanentlyassticky

trapsarequicklyspoiled.

Ratherthanrelyonpermanentmonitors

(typicallychecked8or12timesayear)whynotconductshort-sharpmonitoringexercises,

locatinglargenumbersofmonitorsonashort-termbasis,inthosedifficulttomonitorlocationsthatcockroachesfavour.Thisshouldhelpto

pinpointhot-spotsofinfestation.

Cockroachmonitoringprogrammesmustbe

tailoredtotheneedsofthesite,and

permanentlylocated

monitorsarerarelythebestoption.

Asitehandlinglarge

quantitiesofdryfood

commoditiesthatare

vulnerabletostoragemothinfestationregularlyimportsinfestationwithincoming

rawmaterials.Pheromonetrapsareusedfor

monitoringandarechecked8timesayear.

Aninfestedpalletboughtinjustafteran

inspectionmightsitinrackingforseveralweeksbeforeacheckofthemonitorsrevealsthe

activity.Werearobustmonitoringsystemputinplace,andmonitorscheckedweeklyduringthewarmermonths,thenimportedinfestationis

likelytobedetectedfarmorequickly.Inspectionfrequencycouldperhapsrevertto8or12per

annumduringthewinter.

Storedproductinsect

monitoringprogrammesshouldbetailoredtotheneedsofthesite,andthefrequencyofinspectionshouldtakedueregardtoanyseasonalityintheactivityofthepest.

Afactorymanufacturing

productsvulnerableto

storedproductinsect

infestationhasapest

controlcontract

specificationthatmakesnoallowanceforinspectionofplantinternalsduring

Althoughtheremaybeevidenceforinfestationoutsideoftheplant,thefood-safetycritical

locationswhereinfestationmaybepresentarelikelytobeburiedwithintheplant.Ifthereisnoscheduletoopenandinspectthis,specificallyforevidenceofpests,thenhowcanitbeascertainedthatproductisnotbeinginfestedasitis

Thepestcontrol

contractorinsuchsitesMUSThavesome

knowledgeand

understandingofthe

infestationpotentialoftheequipmentbeing

usedtomanufacturethe

©Acheta,December2015

shutdowns.

manufactured?

foodproduct,andshouldworkwiththesit